Machine for applying collars to bottles



Aug. 3Q, EZ. L MYERS LSYS@ MACHINE FOR APPLYING COLLARS TO BOTTLES FiledJan. 28, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 lfm/enfer LEO M YE/s E @Wwf/WM?,

Aug@ 3Q, E32. L. MYERS;

MACHINE FOR APFLYING COLLARS TO BOTTLES Filed Jan. 28, 1931 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Iriver/for' Aug. 30, 1932. MYERS A 1,875,110

MACHINE FOR APPLYING COLLARS TO BOTTLES Filed Jan. 28. 1951 4sheets-sheet 3' /nven for' LEO Ivy/P5 A orne v Aug. 30, 1932. L. MYERS1,875,110

MACHINE FOR APPLYING COLLARS TO BOTTLES Filed Jan. 28, 1931 4Sheets-Sheet 4 In ven for LEO MYERS Patented Aug. 30, 1932 PATENT OFFICELEO MYERS, F KIRKWOOD, MISSOURI MACHINE FOR APPLYING COLLARS T0 BOTTLESApplication filed January 28, 1931.

This invention pertains to machines for handling articles and moreparticularly to a machine forapplyingto bottles such as milk bottles, anarticle such as a paper collar, whichcollars are often used to carryadvertising'matter to the milk customers along with the bottle of milk.

lt has been found thatthis type of paper collarwhich is usually conicalin form and is placed over the bottle neck so as to rest on the shoulderof a bottle, is a convenient and an edective advertising medium. Itlends itself well to the display of advertising matter, attracts theattention of the customer when he receives his bottle of milk each dayand is distributed with the milk bottles at substantially no additionalcost. lt is desirable, therefore, particularly in installations whichturn out a large number of such bottles each day to provide automaticmeans for placing these collars on the bottles. Such means are requirednot only to save the cost of manual handling, but to avoid delay of theproduct since these bottles pass thru the plant at a rapid rate in orderto maintain a large output.

One of the objects of this invention, therefore, is to provide adevicewhich will automatically apply such articles to a product element suchas a milk bottle.

Another object is to provide such a device which may be mountedin thepath of the bottles as they pass thru the plant and which will carry outits function during such passage and without delaying the product.

Another object is to provide a device of this character in which a stackof -the articles maybe placed and which will successfully transfer anarticle to each bottle as it passes on its way.

Another object is to provide such a device together with means forpositively feeding the bottles and which is actuated by the bottle as itis fed along.

Another object is to provide such a device capable of handling suchfrail and flexible articles as paper cones in a positive and reliablemanner so that the articles are transferred, one at a time.V

59 Another object is to provide such a device Serial No. 511,801.

which while capable of positively feeding the bottles in succession isso arranged as tov slip incase the progress of the bottles is arrestedfor any reason.

Another object is to provide a device of this character which ispositive in its action, cheap to manufacture and durable in service.

\ Other objects will appear from the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings; in which:

Figure l is a side View of a machine embodying this invention;

Figure la is an enlarged detail of Fig. l;

Figure 2 is an enlarged section on line 2 2 0f F 65 Figure 3 is anenlarged section on line 3 3 of Fig. l;

Figure 4c is a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 1; showing th-e feedingmechanism in position to feed a bottle.

' Figure 5y is a similar view showing the action of a bottle being fedin actuating the transferring mechanism. A

Figure 6 is a detail section on line 6 6 of Fs- 4:; s 'z5 Figure 7 is anenlarged detail of Fig. 1 with parts broken away illustrating thetransferring mechanism and showing the parts in position for depositinga collar on a bottle.

Figure 8 is a similar View showing the parts in position to take anarticle from the stack;

Figure 9 is a plan view somewhat enlarged of the mechanism of Figures 7and 8 showing more clearly the construction and method of the articleholder;

F Figure 10 is a section on line 10 10 of Figure 10a is an enlargeddetail of Fig.

l0 showing more clearly the action of the holder claws.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a machine representing anembodiment of this `invention adapted to be applied to a milk bottleconveyor on a bottle filling machine7 such as is ordinarily used indairy plants. In the drawings l designates the side rail of such aconveyor, the conveyor belt being shown at 2. A row of bottles isindicated in broken lines at 3, these bottles being carried by theconveyor 2f in a direction toward the right of Fig. 1. Y

Secured in anysuitable manner to each of vthe rails 1 is an upstandingframe 4, such i 5 frame having complementary side members on each` sideof the conveyor, said side members are held injspaced relation over theeon-r "veyor by one or more'cross rods, a cross frame 6 at the upper endand a transverse ring frame 7 near its middle portion.

The upper cross frame'G is providedwith* a semi-circular socket 8adaptedto receive a tubular support 9. Anclamping member 10 is hinged at11 on the, cross member andV 15 has a ,forked end 12 adapted vto receivea elampingfscrew 13.y The screw 13 is pivoted i Y at 14 onthemember 6 sothat it may be swung intolor out ofthe forked end12 of the clampingmember, A thumb nut 1,5'y is arranged Y 20 onf the'screwfl s'ogthatvr itmay ybe lscrewed downl-uponthe forkedend of-the clampl() j 'so' as toclampthe tubular support 9 rigidly inthe cross member 6. In ordertoaccurately Y locate`v the support 9 longitudinally, the same 2.5 may beperforated to receive a cdowell 16 .y cated in'jFigure y1. Thertube-9issetifatsuch 'an inclination tothe verticalfth'at the stack of articleswill'tend tolsliderdown the tube by gravity. Y f v Y `V Y Mounted inthering 7 is va series of fre-v 4o straining fingers 18. These fingersare spaced v at intervals around the circumference ofthe ring Y 7. Theylare preferably formed 1 of spring materialfso 'asto be resilient'. .IEach may` be vsecuredto the ring 7 by a screw 19 and anadjusting screw2O may be provided vfor*'adjusting theftension of each: finger. Thesefingers extend downwardly Valong ythe axis ofthe ring 7 thru'whichthetube 9 also passes: The stack of articles 17 sliding down 50 saidtubel is arrested by engagement with. the

' fingers 18. The lingers are so placed as to substantially lencircle.the stackfofv articles. The tip of each finger is bent inwardlyto aslight extent so that only its tip engages the 55 "terminal article 17of the stack. lvWhen such engagement is effected the movement fof thestack isarrested and furthermovement ofthe articles isrestrained bythesefingers.

In order to :insure Apositive feeding of the '6G stack of a-rticleslaweighted' feeding element Y 21 ismounted on the tube 9. This'elementmayhave a conical .exterior lsurface .'itting the collars in' the stackandisprovided witha cylindrical bore having a slidingrfitlupon the tube9. This @feeding 'elementnslides' dow-n the tube against the rear end ofthe stack and continually bears by gravity on .the

stack so as to urge lit downwardly along the tube. In order toV resistback pressure of the mechanism on the stack when taking thedog V22. mayturn freely about the pivot 23 so as `not" to Hretard the downwardmovement of the element21.: lUpon reverse movement, however, the Vdog 22is wedged against theA tube 9 so asto'press the shoe 24 against the tubethereby providing a frictionV stop adaptedA toresist rearward movementof the Stadi! S, `1. L `rl Y `Mounted between theside frames 4 at theright rhand endV thereof, Fig. 1, isv across frame 25 shown moreclearlyin Figs 9 andi 10. -Mounted inthe frame 25 is a pair 'of guides 26adaptedto support-and guideja pairfofro'ds 27. The rods'27 are'joinedlat their'upper endsby -a'carrier 28 equipped with bearings 29 in whichis journaled across shaftV 30.I The shaft() has fixed thereto by lugSliasuctionhead 32. The headf32 has formed therein fourradiallydivergent these passages hasconnected thereto a iiexible suctiontube34 whose other endis connected -airpassages 3,13 which are allconnected to` gether at vthe center ofthe head.'` VOne of to a suctionpipe 85 mounted onzone of the y'side frames 4..y Thepipe,isconnected inanysuitablemanner, not shown, toa suitable.-

sourc'e iofsvacuum, such as a Yvacuum Y tank, suction pump,y or thelike. `Each of the other e passages A33 is connected bya iiexibleconnec.

tion 36, such as a rubber tube, to a suction vgripper 37 pivotedlat 38to an ar1n39y onthe head Y52.

The' gripper 37 -is thus flexibly mounted on the head 32. One of thepassages n 33has aninlet openin-g`40 which may be closed by a v,valve41v pivoted at 42 on suc-h head. K f

n 'The shaft SOhas fixed thereto near one end V fa'pinion43inengagementwith a gear s-ector 44, (see Figs. 7 and 8), pivoted on astud 45 mounted vin the head 32, said sector being rigidly connected toan arm 46 equipped itsiother end with a. camroll'er 47. Mounted onone oftheside'frames 4 is a cam bracket'rv 48 having a vcam siotf49 adapted toreceive the .roller y'47 when the head 32'is in vits normal position' asshown in Figs. 7'and `10. AThe carn148 also has a straight face 50 alongwhich the'roller 47 moves after it has passed outofA theslot 49 uponmovement ofthe holder as will'be described later. f

,The head132togetherggwith Vthe arms 39 and the suction grippers 37 atthe ends thereof,

f forma holder adapted tojreceive and hold one of thev papercolla'rsy17.

It will be seen by referenceito 10 inclusive, Ythat whenj the;carrierf28 is rige? a' moved upwardly, being carried by the rods 27sliding in the guides 26, the cam roller 47 will be moved upwardly out'of the slot 49 and will roll forward on the straight face 50 of the cam.As the roller moves upwardly in the slot 49 the sector 44 will movedownwardly and will thereby cause the pinion 43 to be rotated in aclockwise direction as seen in Fig. 8. This rotates the shaft 30 whichcarries with it the head 32. Thus the article holder is moved from itsnormal or delivery position as shown in Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive, 'to itstaking position as shown in Fig. 8. Theholder accomplishes its completemovement during the rise of the roller 47 out of the slot 49. Thereafterthe roller moves along the straight face 50 and keeps the holder in itstaking position as it moves up to the stack of collars. As it engagesthe terminal collaryof the stack theflexible grippers 37 of which thereare 3 in themachine illustrated, adjust themselvesto the surface of thecone `and are yieldingly pressed therea-gainst as will be more fullydescribed later. luring the forward movement of the holder the valve 41vis closed so that the suction is active at the grippers 37.Consequently when these grippers engage the terminal collar 17 theVcollar will be firmly drawn into engagement with said grippers by thesuction activo therein.

In order to assist in dctaching the terminal collar from the stack theholder is further provided with a series of spring arms 51 mounted at 52on the head 32 and yieldingly' pressed into engagement with the collar.The'tip of each arm is provided with a sharpened claw 53 which may bepressed into engagement with the collar 17. The end of each of thesearms 51 is providedwith a lateraly extending pin 54 which protrudes atboth sides of the claw 53. Mounted in suitable positions on the ring 7are springs 55 each'equipped at its end with a p-air of fingers 56spaced apart a sufficient distance to permit the pin 54 to drop betweenthem. Each finger 56 carries ashoe 57 which extends inwardly from thefinger d 56a sufficient distanceto engage the end of 5 the pin 54 whilepermitting the arm 51 to pass between these shoes. As the holder -movesup to the end of the stack of collars thepins 54 engages the outsidesurfaces of theshoes 57, ride over these shoes and thereafter dropbetween the fingers 56 so that the claws 53 come into engagement withthe collar. As the holder is now withdrawn (by mechanism which will bedescribed later) the pins 54 engage the underside of the shoes 57 andare firmly pressed into engagement with the collar 17 by the resiliencyof the arms 55. This causes the claws to bite into the paper collar sothat as the holder is retracted the terminal collar is separated fromthe stack and retained in the holder by the suction at the grippers 37.As the terminal collar is withdrawn from the stack the resilient fingers18 snap over its rear edge into engagement to the succeeding collar inthe stack so as to retain or restrain said collar by these fingers. Thishas the elfect of permitting a gap to form between the rear edges ofthese two collars so as to relieve any tendency to form a vacuum betweenthese collars and thereby cause them to adhere to each other.

As the carrier now moves downwardly or to the right, (Figs. 7 to 10inclusive), the cam roller 47 reverses its former movement. As it'dropsback into the slot 49, the arm 46 and thereby the sector 44 are moved inthe reversed direction so as to turn the holder down again to its normalor delivery position. As this movement is completed an arm 58 on thevalve 41, (see Fig. 10), engages an adjustable stop screw 59. Thiscauses the valve 41 to open thereby admitting air to the inlet 40relieving the suction at the grippers 37. This releases the hold of theholder on the collar 17 and permits it to drop over the neck of a bottlewhich has previously been pushed therebeneath. The return movement ofthe carrier 28 is cushioned by the action of a piston 60 on the end of arod 61 fixed to the carrier. This piston slides in a dash pot 62provided with an adjustable opening 63 for the escape of air.

In order that the collars shall be deposited accurately upon the bottlesthe operation of the above described mechanism must be timed inaccordance with the movement of the bottles. The mechanism foraccomplishing this purpose will now be described. Journaled in a bracketor brackets 64 suspended from the rails l of the bottle conveyor is ashaft 65.

Fixed to the shaft 65 is a sprocket 66 engag- 1 ing teeth 67 ontheunderside of the conveyor belt 2. The movement of the belt 2, therefore,turns the sprocket 66 to rotate the shaft 65. Mounted on the end of theshaft 65 is a slip clutch 68 of any suitable design. This clutch is sodesigned as to exert a certain maximum driving effect. TWhen the load onthe clutch becomes greater than this maximum the clutch slips. Theclutch 68 carries a sprocket 69 connected by a chain 70 to drive asprocket 71 on a shaft 72 mounted in suitable journals on the rails 1.(See Figs. 1, 4 and 5.) The shaft 72 carries a cam 73 cooperating with acam roller 74 on a slide 75 arranged to slide forward and backwards onrails 76 mounted on the lower portion of the frame 4. A spring 77 exertsa yielding tension on the slide 7 5 so as to keep the same in engagementwith the cam 73. This mechanism is duplicated on the other side of themachineas will be seen from Figs. 4 and 5. As the cam 78 rotates inthedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. l the slide 75 is raduallymoved to the right,Fig-. l, until Just rafter the position shown inVFig. l when the roller 7 4 vis released by the cam and the kslide 75executes a quick return movement.

' Each slide 75 has pivoted thereto at 78,

' normal direction of movement.

sions of the cam 73 are such that each stroke (see Fig. J4), an arm 79.This arm is tensioned by a spring 80 tending to move it in alcounter-clockwise direction, as seen in Figure 4i Its movement islimitedl by 'the engage-V ,ment of a stop screw 81 thereon with a stop y82. The arm 7 9 is, therefore, normally held of the slide-75 will moveav bottle forward a distance equal to the diameter of they bottle.

' At the completion ofthis .forward feeding I movement the slides'75snap back under the action of the springs 77. l During this returnmovement the arms 7 9r yieldwhen they engage the succeeding bottle so asto ,pass

around the same and they then snap backy to y their normal positionbehind the succeeding l bottle under the .action of the springs 89,.Fig. 4 shows in dotted lines the'positions of apair of varms 79 passingaroundabottle in this manner.

v It will be seen therefore,thatthis mechanism provide meansV forpositively feeding the bttles thru the machine so" as notl to' dependsimplyupon movement ofthe conveyor 2 to carry the bottles along.VPivoted on a vertical stud83 on yeach of the frame members 4 is an arm'84 which extends inwardly to a position to be engaged by a bottle as itpasses thru the machine. The

lsame stud 83 carries an arm 85 which is connected by a link 86 with anarm l87 pivoted at 88 on the frame 4 and extending upwardly therefrom. YAspring 89 connects the link 86 with a point onthe forward edge of theframe 4.as shown in Fig. l so as to urge the arm 87 to the right therebyswinging the arm L84 into the path of a bottle. Pivoted at 90 to theupper endof thegarm'87 is a short section v91 having a slot 92 .engagingthe shaft 30. rl`he section 91 has an outstanding arm f 98 tensioned bya spring 94 so as to hold the section 91 against a-stop so Vpositionedlas t0 yieldingly maintain said section in prolongation ofthe arm 87. V

As a bottleis fed forwardly along the ycon- Y i veyor by the arms 79,theA bottle just ahead vof it is forced past the arms 84. .As the bottlepasses the arms 84 it swings these arms outvwardlyimtil they pass overthe largest diam'- eter of the bottle after which they snap back totheir original position. During this movemeiitthe arms swing the`.-links86andf-v thereby the arms 87 tothe left, (Fig. l).

This movement ofl thev arm 87 forces the carrier 28 to the left, (Fig.l) therebyk carrying* the. article holder `upto the stack totake acollar therefrom, after 'which the arms'87 ksnap back again to returnthe carrier vandy deposit the collar on the bottle aspre'viouslydescribed. l VThe yprovision of the spring 94 Y permits'flexing of thesection 91 relative to ingly against thestackofcollars, this pressurebeing restrained'by the-stop 22 aspreviously described. Y,

A latch'95 pivoted at 96 onf the framel 4has a dog97 arranged so thatthecarrierl may be moved up to its taking position-after which the latchis turnedonits pivot to engage the the arm 87 so that the holder ispressed yielddog 97 behind the end of tlierod 27 fin order i Y l to`hold .the carrier lin this position. This throws the machine out of`action so.` that bottles may be passed thru without having thecollarsdeposited thereon.

ltv will be seen therefore,.-

provided which may be applied. to vany ina- `chine for handlingproductelements, such as `bottles or the like. The mechanismisarlconveyor which carries the bottles. A posi- Vtive feed ofthebottles is provided .sov that j y l that. this inven tion accomplishesits objects; A machine is ranged to be Yactuated by the movementl ofthev i in vcase'the bottles arrive irregularly-.having gapes between themovement of thebottles will be timed in'accordancewithsuch movement. Furthermore, theVV collar handling mechanism ris actuated by a bottlewhich is` 1i'oo` passing the collar handling mechanisinwill n *Y Y' bepositive and the-action vofthe.mechanismv n being fed.` Accordingly,when a gapoccurs Y in the line ofbottles .the mechanismY is not actuatedso that thereis no tendency't'o feed a collar even when there' is nobottleto' v Y l .110

receive it. Y

y The collar holding devices are operated by suction so that a firmvhold is maintained on the collar which may'lbe instantly released Y atthe proper time to` drop the collars.V lhe collar feeding mechanismissuch that only one collar is fed at' atime, theothers being positivelybut yieldingly restrained. Aposi-r I tive feedingof the collars bygravity is maintained by the weight of element 2l so that 120.

they feed continues in a normal manner even when only a few collarsremain in theV stack which would normally be too light to feedpositively by vtheir own weight. The feeding mechanism is so arrangedythat a new `stack-is easily and .quickly insertedin the machine.

Thef mechanical movements areall Vsimple",

andthe arrangementof parts nis suchy .that

the entire lmachineis simple to `manufacture.` While the machinek hasvbeendescribed as n va unitary device' it will beunderstoodthat certainindividual features or sub-combinations thereof, may be useful ofthemselves without reference to other features or the rest of thecombination. It is understood that the employment of such individualfeatures and sub-combinations is contemplated by this invention and iswithin the scope of the appended claims.

It is further obvious that various changes may be made, within the scopeof the appended claims, in the details of construction without departingfrom the spirit of this invention; it is to be understood, therefore,that this invention is not limited to the speciiic details shown and/ordescribed. n

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a machine ofthe character described, means for supporting andfeeding a stack of collars, a holder engageable with a peripheralportion of the terminal collar of the stack, and suction means forsecuring the collar to said holder.

2. In a machine of the character described, means for supporting andfeeding a stack of collars, a holder engageable with a peripheralportion of the terminal collar of the stack, suction means for securingthe article to said holder and means actuated by movement of said holderadapted to drop the collar.

3. In a machine of the character described, means for supporting` andfeeding a stack of articles in nested relation, a holder engageable withthe terminal article of the stack, suction means for securing thearticle to said holder, and means for releasing the terminal articlefrom the stack.

l. In a machine of the character described, means for supporting` andfeeding a stack of articles in nested relation, a holder engageable withthe terminal article of the stack, suction means for securing thearticle to said holder, a claw on said holder, and means for operatingsaid claw to grip the terminal article to remove it from the stack.

5. In a machine of the character described, means for supporting` andfeeding a stack of articles in nested relation, a holder engageable withthe terminal article of the stack, suction means for securing thearticle to said holder, a claw on said holder, means for operating saidclaw to grip the terminal article to remove it from the stack, and meansfor releasing said securing means.

6. In a machine of the character described, means for supporting andfeeding a stack of articles, a holder having a iieXible gripperengageable with the terminal article of the stack, and suction means forsecuring the article to said gripper.

7. In a machine of the character described, means for supporting andfeeding a stack of articles in nested relation, a holder engageable withthe terminal article of the stack, suction means for securing thearticle to said holder, means for releasing the terminal article fromthe stack, and means for moving said holder to carry the article awayfrom the stack.

8. In a machine of the character described, means for supporting andfeeding a stack of articles in nested relation, a holder engageable withthe terminal article of the stack, suction means for securing thearticle to said holder, means acting during a predetermined movement ofsaid holder to release the terminal article from the stack, and meansfor moving said holder to carry the article away from the stack.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, means for holding a stackof collars, means for feeding a product element, and means actuated intimed relation with said feeding means adapted to take a collar from thestack and drop the same on the product element.

10. In an apparatus of the character described, means for holding astack of articles, means for feeding a product element, andi meansmounted above and actuated in timed relation with said feeding meansadapted t0 take an article from the stack and drop the same upon theproduct element.

11. In an apparatus of the character described, means for holding astack of conical articles, means for feeding a bottle, and meansactuated in timed relation with said feeding means adapted to take anarticle from the stack and deposit the same upon the neck of the bottle.

l2. In an apparatus of the character described, means for holding astack of collars, means for feeding a bottle, and means actuated bymovement of an element being fed adapted to take a collar from the stackand drop the same on the neck of the bottle.

13. In an apparatus of the character described, means for holding astack of conical articles, means for feeding a bottle, and meansactuated by the moving bottle adapted to take an article from the stackand deposit the same upon the neck of the bottle.

14. In an apparatus of the character described, means for holding astack of conical articles, means for feeding a bottle, means actuated bythe moving bottle adapted to take an article from the stack and depositthe same upon the neck of the bottle, and a slip-clutch drive for saidfeeding means.

15. In a device for applying collars to bottles, a carrier, means forsupporting and guiding' said carrier for reciprocating movement betweentaking and depositing stations, a collar holder on s aid carrier, meansfor feeding a bottle, and means actuated by the bottle being fed adaptedto position said carrier over a bottle.

16. In a device for applying collars to bottles, a carrier, means forsupporting and guiding said carrier for reciprocating movement 6 a Ytestati-ci'Y f betweenl taking'and depositing stations, `a

' collar holder on said carrier, means for ,feeding. a b,ottle,'me`ansactuated by the bottle beingpfed adapted to move said carrier, and Ymeans-for vcushioning thereturn of said car- -1 17,1 In a device forapplying collars to bottles, .a carrier, means for ksupporting Y and yguiding said carrier for reciprocating movemf ment between taking anddepositing stations,

acollar holder movable on said carrier, means for. vfeeding a bottle,means actuated bythe 'bottle being fed adapted to move said carrier, andmeans actuated'upon movement of said k15 carrieradapted to move saidholder to taking position thereon. l

18; Ina device 'for applying collars to bot- K tles, a carrier, meansfor supporting and guidingsaid carrier ,for reciprocating movementbetween taking and depositing stations, a collar holder movable on saidcarrier, means for feeding a bottle, means actuated by the bottle ibeing fed adapted to move said carrier, an

arm on said carrier connected with said holder andacan'iositionedforengagement with y2a 7 b o saidarm and adapted upon movementof. said carrier to cause said arm tomove said holder to taking positionon said carrier.- 419. In a device for applying collars to botd tles, arack for holding a stack of collars adapted for movement of the collarsthere-` along,fand gravity v'means for feeding the tack along saidrackadapted to resist back pressureon the stack. l

' 35 20. In a device for applying `collars to loottles,a rack includingan interior guide adapted toreceive 4a stack of collars, means forysupporting said guide vat one end thereof, and means engagingthe stackexteriorly near the l '45 otherendi of said guide adapted torestrainmovement of the stack. i

21.1In a machine of the character described, means. for supporting andfeeding a stack .of articles, a holder engageable with .45j the terminalarticle of the'stacl, means for feeding-a product element, means formoving -said holderto position the article over the product element, andmeans for actuating said holderto -drop the,l article upon the prod- 50uct element.

' 22. In aV machiney of the character described, -meansfor supportingand feeding a stack of articles, a holder engageable with the terminalarticleiof the stack, means for feedv55,5" inga product element, meansfor movingsaid vholder toposition and orient the article over theproduct element, and means for actuating said holder to drop the articleupon the prody uct element: -V

50' f In testimony whereof I aiiX my signature this lday of January,i931. o

